Determined to ensure recovery of unremitted funds at Warri Port, the recently contracted pilotage firm by the federal government, Escravos Ship Pilot Nigeria Limited (ESPNL), has decried sharp practices carried out in collusion with operators of oil service boat operators, denying Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), millions of naira in revenue.
The operational areas of the pilotage firm going the agreement with federal government covers the channels between Escravos Fairway Bouy to Bennett Island, Escravos to Forcados River, Agge Anchorage to Ramos River and adjoining Waters and Channels, reports Daily Sun.
In the said agreement with federal government, ESPNL has as parts of its mandate to conduct pilotage services on Ship sailing out of Warri Pilotage District and the services shall commence from Ramos/Agge Anchorage/ Forcados River/Forcados Shoreline and disembark from the ship to Escravos Fairway/Forcados Offshore station not exceeding 10 nautical miles.”
Sources in the Maritime sector disclosed that while Intels is presently doing the monitoring, ESPNL is doing pilotage of oil service boats.
Further disclosure by the Technical Director of ESPNL, Captain Charlie Tobi, revealed that the operators of all oil service boats within the operational area are mandated to sign/endorse their “Master Declaration Chit” showing the particulars of the ship, the owners, agents, cargo type as well as the gross registered tonnage, among others, in the course of any voyage undertaken, “for NPA’s record and for the safety of the vessel.
Tobi in a chat with newsmen in Warri yesterday noted that a sting operation carried out on operators of oil service boats in the mandate area revealed that the majority of them have not been presenting for signing/endorsement the mandatory documents, particularly “the Master Declaration Chit”.
According to him; “investigations by ESPNL revealed that majority of the recalcitrant oil service boat operators have been colluding with unnamed NPA top officials who, in effect, have been letting them off the hook on issuing them what is known in the local parlance as ‘off record’, after receiving unspecified gratifications, thus diverting revenue due to the Federal Government to private pockets.”
“This is one of the reasons why the Warri Port is poor”, Tobi reiterated just as he lamented that “the bad eggs within the NPA have been sabotaging the good efforts of the Federal Government.”
Meanwhile, ESPNL has protested “this ugly development” to the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Koko Bello, urging him to wade in urgently and sanction any Ports official found to be incriminated in the nefarious activities.
The ESPNL’s protest letter dated 20th December, 2023, copies of which were made available to journalists partly reads, “We will like to bring forward to the management the above subject matter on Oil Service Boats/Tankers.
“They are referred to as off record vessels. These practices were carried out by the previous Harbourmasters and were stopped by the management for contracting of Escravos Warri Pilotage District to Escravos Ship Pilot Nigeria limited, Escravos.
“They are sabotaging management’s good efforts, and they are economic saboteurs. We cannot fold our arms and watch them continue this cruel habits.
“The management lacks funds to rebuild the Escravos Submerged Breakwaters, but this set of people are diverting the revenue that is supposed to come to the Nigerian Ports Authority’s purse. Only revenue generating from Oil Service Boat is enough to rebuild the breakwaters.
“Harbourmaster is supposed to fight for the interest of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
“We are appealing to the management to use its good offices to arrest this ugly act being carried out in this Harbour.”
When contacted, a vessel owner simply identified as Alhaji, who is the owner of MV Whisky *9 Tug Boat, called for intensified sensitisation among the oil service boats operators and other stakeholders including maritime agents in Delta State.
Another vessel owner, Joseph Fuludo, owner of MV David Rhema, admitted that the contractors that took over from Intels for oil service boats pilotage had not seen master declaration for his vessels for four trips.
While urging NPA to “step up efforts in its clearance operations to checkmate sharp practices in the system,” Fuludo stated that if a vessel is not cleared before going out, modalities ought to be put in place to cross check at the signal stations along the route.
“Ordinarily, a vessel’s movement could be tracked from its point of departure enroute its voyage till it berths at the jetty. It is not shipowners duty to do NPA’s job for them,” he stated.
